Shadows in the Night
by thetideisrising
Summary: When they were younger, they called it a game. Now that they're older, they know better. Trapped in a cave, outgunned, and waiting for impending doom, the pair of master assassins have only twelve minutes to say all that needs to be said. clintasha (one-shot)


The sound of water dripping onto stone set an eerie scene for the pair of assassins. Her red hair trailing behind her, Natasha Romanoff situated herself in front of her almost lover. The silence between them was tense, almost as tense as the silence that was outside of the small cave. His eyes locked onto hers, and even though she knew that they were going to die, she felt her shoulders start to relax.

"Tasha…"

She adjusted her position so that she was looking right at him.

"Clint."

She could see him tense, and she knew that he was beginning to give into fear. Her gaze adverted to her watch, where the time was displayed before her in white, blazing numbers.

"Twelve minutes, thirty-two seconds until sunrise," she stated.

She kept her focal point on the ground, and for the next thirty-two seconds, there was nothing.

"We used to play games when we were younger," he commented.

She couldn't help but smirk, her gaze turning upwards towards him. "Well, we are older now. I think you're in the wrong business for that Clint."

He smiled at the use of his name.

"Then what business shall I go into? Do you really think I'll make it as a game show host?"

Their playful banter made her crack a smile.

"Why of course, they're all assholes Clint, you'd do fine."

His fake scowl nearly caused her to burst into laughter.

""Hey!" he said in a mock-hurt tone. "It's not my fault I look so damn good."

She snorted. "Please. That nurse in Sheffield was basically screaming at you to get away."

She wasn't sure which one of them cracked first, but before either of them knew it they were both laughing. For one moment, it didn't feel like the pair had over a thousand guns pointed at them, desperately waiting for sunrise to wipe out yet another part of SHIELD.

For one moment, Hydra had never been in the organization in the first place. Their laughter was quickly interrupted by a beep on her wrist. She glanced at it, her green eyes slightly widening.

"Nine minutes, fifty-seven seconds," she said bluntly.

She could feel him shift uncomfortably beside her. It was how they were. Two people so beautifully crafted in the art of espionage that they can read each other's so beautifully hidden emotions.

"Tasha…" he began once more.

She wasn't an idiot. She knew that he was trying to rekindle the flame of a conversation that had just been burning quite wildly moments before.

"Clint! What is there to talk about? We're in a cave! About to die! I'm sorry but I can't think of anything even remotely appealing to talk about!"

He smirked. "We could always talk about the price of tea in China…"

While normally his remark would of sent her off into a rampage, she didn't have the heart to tell him off.

"You already know that it's cheaper to go to a sauna in hell than to buy a bag of tea in Hong Kong."

He raised his eyebrows. "But that's not in China, is it?"

She bit her lip. "Hong Kong was once a part of China."

He pouted. "But I never said anything about time periods. By your logic we'd have to include the price of tea in Mongolia and Korea."

"Wow, that's a lot of math, do you think you'll be able to do it?"

"Nat, you're just jealous because I actually passed math."

"Not by much though."

"Hey!"

As their pointless banter continued, the clock on her arm began to rigorously count down until she could hear the sounds of the wildlife awakening to a day that the two assassins would never see. She hadn't noticed that he had stopped talking, and she guessed that she had stopped too.

She turned to face him, and in the first time in his life he was positive that he saw fear grace her hauntingly beautiful features.

"Clint?" she asked. "Does it really need saying?"

He shook his head. He had known, and just blindly guessed that she had known. Maybe they had known the entire time. She took his action as an invitation, and grabbed him by the color of his dark leather jacket, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was a bit chaste, but hungry for the words left unsaid.

As the watch beeped, they broke apart, and she unsnapped it, freeing her wrist from the greatest restraint it had ever known. Flinging it to the side, she intertwined her fingers with his, her grip tightening on the gun in her opposite hand.

"We'll be making trouble until the very end," she said, a small smile on her lips.

"See you in hell."

He smirked, and they stepped out into the sunlight, and the line of fire.

**Authors Note, as my first piece on this site I would like to simply say that I have no rights, and do not own these characters. Though reviews are not required, I would love to know what you have thought of my first piece on this sight. Any mistakes are mine, as I have no beta. **


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